University of Southern California The USC Andrew and Erna Viterbi School of Engineering USC Astronautics
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B.S. in Astronautical Engineering

The Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering prepares students for engineering careers in the space sector of the aerospace industry; for research and development in industry and government centers and laboratories; and for graduate study. The program provides a core in the fundamentals of aerospace engineering; specialized work in astronautics and space technology; and technical electives to broaden and/or deepen the course work.

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Degree Requirements

The general requirements for B.S. degrees in Engineering are given in the appropriate section of the USC Catalogue. In the event that information on this website conflicts with that in the Catalogue, the Catalogue must be considered to be authoritative.

This major requires completion of the following course of study. Each course is listed in the semester in which it is typically taken. The student may take the courses in a different order than that shown, as long as any prerequisites for each course are met. Note that many engineering courses are offered only once per academic year, so care must be taken when altering the schedule.
FIRST YEAR, FIRST SEMESTER

UNITS

ASTE 101L

Introduction to Astronautics

4

ENGR 102

Freshman Academy

2

CHEM 105aL

General Chemistry, or

CHEM 115aL

Advanced General Chemistry, or

MASC 110L

Materials Science

4

MATH 125

Calculus I

4

General Education

Social Issues

4

_____

18

FIRST YEAR, SECOND SEMESTER

UNITS

ITP 168

Introduction to Matlab

2

MATH 126

Calculus II

4

PHYS 151L*

Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics and Thermodynamics

4

WRIT 130

Analytical Writing

4

_____

14

SECOND YEAR, FIRST SEMESTER

UNITS

AME 201

Statics

3

MATH 226

Calculus III

4

PHYS 152L

Fundamentals of Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism

4

General Education

4

_____

15

SECOND YEAR, SECOND SEMESTER

UNITS

ASTE 280

Foundations of Astronautics

3

AME 204

Strength of Materials

3

MATH 245

Mathematics of Physics and Engineering I

4

PHYS 153L

Fundamentals of Physics III: Optics and Modern Physics

4

General Education

4

_____

18

THIRD YEAR, FIRST SEMESTER

UNITS

ASTE 301a

Thermal and Statistical Systems I

3

ASTE 331a

Spacecraft Systems Engineering I

3

AME 301

Dynamics

3

AME 341aL

Mechoptronics Laboratory I

3

General Education

4

_____

16

THIRD YEAR, SECOND SEMESTER

UNITS

ASTE 301b

Thermal and Statistical Systems II

3

ASTE 331b

Spacecraft Systems Engineering II

3

AME 308

Computer-Aided Analysis for Aero-Mechanical Design

3

AME 341bL

Mechoptronics Laboratory II

3

WRIT 340

Advanced Writing

4

_____

16

FOURTH YEAR, FIRST SEMESTER

UNITS

ASTE 470

Spacecraft Propulsion

3

AME 404

Computational Solutions to Engineering Problems

3

AME 441aL

Senior Projects Laboratory

3

Elective

Technical elective**

3

General Education

4

_____

16

FOURTH YEAR, SECOND SEMESTER

UNITS

ASTE 421

Space Mission Design

3

ASTE 480

Spacecraft Dynamics

3

Elective

Technical elective**

6

General Education

4

_____

16

Total units:

129

*Satisfies general education Category III.

**Technical electives consist of (1) any upper division course in engineering except CE 404, CE 412 and ISE 440, or (2) an upper division course in chemistry, physics or mathematics and MATH 225. No more than three units of 490 course work can be used to satisfy the technical elective requirement. No more than three units of ENGR 395 (co-op) can be used to satisfy the technical elective requirement.